Immigrant Rights

Issue Information

Laws passed targeting immigrants are eventually extended to all citizens; for this reason, basic civil liberties, like the right to due process, must be protected for everyone. While the Constitution does not give people the right to enter the U.S., it protects them once they are here from discrimination based on race and national origin and from arbitrary treatment by the government.

What's Happening in Ohio

The ACLU of Ohio is urging the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to end its contract to house immigration prisoners with the private, for-profit prison company Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) in Youngstown. NEOCC’s ...

The ACLU of Ohio is urging the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to end its contract to house immigration prisoners with the private, for-profit prison company Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) in Youngstown. NEOCC’s contract to house immigration detainees expires in 2015. The call to drop the contract comes after the release of a new ACLU national report Warehoused and Forgotten: Immigrants Trapped in Our Shadow Private Prison System.

Prisons for profit are a multi-billion-dollar industry that depends on, and profits from, our national addiction to incarceration. Handing control of prisons over to for-profit corporations is a recipe for abuse, neglect, and misconduct. Private prisons create dangerous atmospheres with a severe lack of oversight and do little to encourage rehabilitation.

The ACLU of Ohio will continue to monitor this private prison and its treatment of incarcerated people.

Update: On June 27, 2013, thanks to an outpouring of support from all around the country the U.S Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform through S. 744, a bill which moves our country one step closer to putting aspiring ...

Update: On June 27, 2013, thanks to an outpouring of support from all around the country the U.S Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform through S. 744, a bill which moves our country one step closer to putting aspiring Americans on the path to citizenship.

This bill is an important first step, but our work is far from complete. The legislation still needs approval from the U.S. House and we remain concerned about the border militarization and employer verifications provisions within the bill. We will continue to keep you updated on the status of this legislation and provide you with opportunities to make your voice heard.

Introduced in February 2011, Ohio Senate Bill 98 would allow local police to enforce immigration laws, potentially leading to mistaken arrests, racial profiling, and the misdirection of funds away from basic protective services.
In 2007, the Ohio Attorney General ...

Introduced in February 2011, Ohio Senate Bill 98 would allow local police to enforce immigration laws, potentially leading to mistaken arrests, racial profiling, and the misdirection of funds away from basic protective services.

In 2007, the Ohio Attorney General issued an opinion advising that Ohio law permits county sheriffs to enter into agreements with the federal government to enforce criminal violations of immigration law, but Ohio law prohibits sheriffs from enforcing civil violations of immigration law.

Issue Information

Laws passed targeting immigrants are eventually extended to all citizens; for this reason, basic civil liberties, like the right to due process, must be protected for everyone. While the Constitution does not give people the right to enter the U.S., it protects them once they are here from discrimination based on race and national origin and from arbitrary treatment by the government.

What's Happening Nationally

The ACLU of Ohio is urging the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to end its contract to house immigration prisoners with the private, for-profit prison company Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) in Youngstown. NEOCC’s ...

The ACLU of Ohio is urging the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to end its contract to house immigration prisoners with the private, for-profit prison company Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) in Youngstown. NEOCC’s contract to house immigration detainees expires in 2015. The call to drop the contract comes after the release of a new ACLU national report Warehoused and Forgotten: Immigrants Trapped in Our Shadow Private Prison System.

Prisons for profit are a multi-billion-dollar industry that depends on, and profits from, our national addiction to incarceration. Handing control of prisons over to for-profit corporations is a recipe for abuse, neglect, and misconduct. Private prisons create dangerous atmospheres with a severe lack of oversight and do little to encourage rehabilitation.

The ACLU of Ohio will continue to monitor this private prison and its treatment of incarcerated people.

Update: On June 27, 2013, thanks to an outpouring of support from all around the country the U.S Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform through S. 744, a bill which moves our country one step closer to putting aspiring ...

Update: On June 27, 2013, thanks to an outpouring of support from all around the country the U.S Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform through S. 744, a bill which moves our country one step closer to putting aspiring Americans on the path to citizenship.

This bill is an important first step, but our work is far from complete. The legislation still needs approval from the U.S. House and we remain concerned about the border militarization and employer verifications provisions within the bill. We will continue to keep you updated on the status of this legislation and provide you with opportunities to make your voice heard.

In April 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070, an anti-immigrant law that effectively requires police to engage in racial profiling. MALDEF, the ACLU, and the National Immigration Law Center announced that they will sue to block the law ...

In April 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070, an anti-immigrant law that effectively requires police to engage in racial profiling. MALDEF, the ACLU, and the National Immigration Law Center announced that they will sue to block the law from going into effect. The U.S. Department of Justice has also sued, and several of the laws provisions have been blocked, pending the case’s resolution. Read more. Arizona v. United States went before the U.S. Supreme Court on April 25, 2012 where the Justices heard the arguments on provisions that are being challenged in SB 1070. The Court is expected to announce their ruling in June. Click here to read the fact sheet on SB 1070.

The law has inspired similar laws in other states, including Alabama. In response to these unconstitutional laws, the ACLU of Ohio issued a travel advisory and wallet card for Ohioans to protect themselves from unfair racial profiling and inform them of their rights when stopped by police. Click here to view the press release and materials. En Español.

Let’s stand united to end discriminatory policies that unfairly target racial minorities. Sign the online petition and urge President Obama to put a stop to such laws such as Arizona SB 1070. En Español.

The ACLU believes immigration policies can be reformed and still respect civil liberties. To that end, the ACLU opposes any policies that include:
mandatory detention and/or deportation of anyone that an immigration officer thinks is an undocumented person;
requiring or encouraging local ...